Objective. We draw on ecological modernization theory and international political economy arguments to examine the sources of an environmental Kuznets curve (or EKC) that produces an inverted U-shaped rate of deforestation relative to economic development. Method. We use ordinary least squares regression with White's (1978) correction for possible heteroskedasticity to examine the rate of deforestation (1980)(1981)(1982)(1983)(1984)(1985)(1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994)(1995) in less developed countries. Results. Net of controls for initial forest stock and the quality of deforestation estimates, we find strong evidence for an EKC driven by (1) agglomeration effects linked to the level of urbanization, (2) rural-to-urban migration that partially offsets rural population pressure, (3) the growth of services-dominated urban economies, and (4) strong democratic states. We find little evidence that foreign debt or export dependence influence the deforestation rate. Conclusions. Although deforestation continues to pose pressing and potentially irreversible environmental risks, there is evidence of self-corrective ecological and modernization processes inherent in development that act to mitigate these risks.

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Objectives. The goal of this research is to examine the role of modernization (i.e., structural conduciveness) in the form of income, telephone price and structure, education, and political structures, and global contact in the form of world cities, trade, investment, activities of international nongovernmental organizations, and short-term exchanges of population in driving the worldwide diffusion of the Internet. Methods. We use longitudinal regression analyses (1995)(1996)(1997)(1998)(1999)(2000) of change in Internet hosts for approximately 80 developing countries. Results. The analyses suggest that foreign investment, major urban agglomerations, manufacturing exports, nongovernmental organization presence, and tourism as well as democratic openness, property rights, and income predict Internet diffusion during the time period under investigation. Conclusions. We conclude that indeed both conduciveness to Internet technology as well as globalization (contact) are important factors in the diffusion of the Internet.

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"Few aspects of international social change have generated as much scholarship as patterns of urbanization in the Third World. In this review of interdisciplinary research, we first trace the trends and dimensions of urbanization in developing countries and then discuss major theories guiding global urban studies. Second, we review and critique recent cross-national investigations of the determinants of urbanization and its dimensions, concluding that severe underspecification, the dearth of comparative statistics on critical dimensions, and the ambiguity of proxy variables hinder research in this area. Finally, we discuss issues that warrant additional investigation in the near future."